Ok**- Cb*Jmmjta& J Tij&Tjta

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST NR Eligible: yes DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY FORM no x

Property Name: Tipton Airport Inventory Number: AA-2380

Address: 81 General Aviation Drive (MD 198) Historic district: yes X no City: Odenton Zip Code: 21113 County: Anne Arundel

USGS Quadrangle(s): Laurel

Property Owner: Anne Arundel County, Tipton Airport Authority Tax Account ID Number: 4-000-90213642

Tax Map Parcel Number(s): 12 Tax Map Number: 20

Project: MD 198 from MD 295 to MD 32 Agency: SHA

Agency Prepared By: EHT Traceries, Inc. Preparer's Name: Elizabeth Breiseth Date Prepared: 8/21/2007

Documentation is presented in: Maryland Inventory of Historic Places Form AA-23 80

Preparer's Eligibility Recommendation: Eligibility recommended X Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: _A B _C _D Considerations: A B C D _E __F G

Complete if the property is a contributing or non-contributing resource to a NR district/property: Name of the District/Property: Inventory Number: Eligible: yes Listed: yes

Site visit by MHT Staff yes X no Name: Date:

Description of Property and Justification: (Please attach map and photo) The Tipton Airport is a former United States Army airfield occupying a 366-acre tract of land historically part of Fort George G. Meade. The Tipton Airfield was opened in 1960, replacing the original Fort Meade airfield that opened in the 1920s. Operating under the auspices of Fort Meade, the non-historic airfield was designated for privatization under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) in 1988. In 1995, the airfield was listed as a Superfund site and closed to allow the Army to cleanup the site. The facility reopened in November of 1999 under the ownership of Anne Arundel County. Currently, a state-chartered public corporation - the Tipton Airport Authority - operates the airfield.(l) Fort Meade, the National Security Agency, and the Patuxent Wildlife Reserve border the airfield, which is sited south of MD 198 in Odenton, Maryland.

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended V

Criteria: _A B C D Considerations: A B C _D E _F _G MHT Comments:

Ok**- Cb*JMMJtA& J tij&tjta. Reviewer/Qffice of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program D^te NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

AA-2380 Tipton Airport Page 2 embody distinctive characteristics of twentieth-century architecture. The buildings are constructed with materials such as concrete block and corrugated metal, typical of industrial architecture found throughout Anne Arundel County and the nation in the mid- to late twentieth century. Therefore, the property is not recommended eligible under Criterion C. All the buildings on the property are less than fifty years old. The property was not evaluated under Criterion D. Thus, Tipton Airport is not recommended eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under A, B, or C.

Historic Context: Anne Arundel County and Odenton

Farming, primarily of tobacco, was the chief industry in Anne Arundel County during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In addition to farming, the northern portion of the county had an active iron ore mining industry following the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Many railroad lines were laid in the early to mid-nineteenth century to aid in transferring the smelted ore to Baltimore City for shipping.(2) The new railroads also facilitated transportation of goods and people between Baltimore City and Washington, D.C, creating a highly traveled corridor through Anne Arundel County.

Crossroads communities sprang up throughout the county around the new transportation corridors. For instance, the town of Odenton was founded in 1868 due to its location along the Baltimore and Potomac (B&P) Railroad, which connected Baltimore City and Washington, D.C. The B&P Railroad crossed the Annapolis and Elkridge (A&E) Railroad. At this intersection, a train station and post office were established and named for Oden Bowie, owner of B&P Railroad. Odenton was the largest of these small crossroads communities with 100 residents, a church, a school, and two shops by 1878. Early industry in the area was agricultural; farms produced wheat, corn, and tobacco. Canneries, primarily for tomatoes, were constructed in Odenton and throughout the county in the late nineteenth century.

In 1917, the United States Department of War acquired 4,000 acres of land between Odenton and Laurel, in Anne Arundel County, for the establishment of Camp Meade, which was renamed Fort George G. Meade in 1928 when it became a permanent post. Conceived as a World War 1(1914-1918) training facility, the base offered training in infantry combat operations as well as a mustard agent training area. From 1918 to 1932, the United States Army Tank School operated out of Fort Meade. With the United States entrance into World War II (1941-1945) in 1941, Fort Meade expanded to 13,596 acres to meet the increased training requirements. The base continued to operate as a training facility until 1988 when several portions of the site - totaling 9,000 acres - were identified for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC).(3)

The establishment of Fort Meade spurred the early-twentieth-century development of Odenton and other neighboring towns. Growth in Odenton accelerated in the 1950s with the establishment of the National Security Agency at Fort Meade and Friendship International Airport, which is now known as the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, a few miles north of Odenton. The suburban expansion of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. furthered the transformation of towns along major automobile thoroughfares like MD 198 and MD 175 from agricultural villages to business, industrial, and residential centers.

The Fort Meade Auxiliary Army Airfield and Tipton Airport

Tipton Airport, originally called the Tipton Airfield, was the second airfield constructed on the grounds of Fort Meade. The first airfield on the base, known as the Fort Meade Auxiliary Army Airfield, was built in the central portion of the base, two miles northeast of present-day Tipton Airport. The exact date of construction for the first airfield is unknown; however, an emergency landing field was present in the 1920s. An auxiliary landing field was noted in a 1930 Fort Meade publication, and the 1935 Washington Sectional Chart provides the first physical representation of the base's airfield. By 1937, the airfield had three runways, the longest of which was 1,800 feet.(4) The 1947 USGS map of Anne Arundel County shows the 1,800-foot landing strip of Fort Meade Airfield, which was sited north of MD 602 (present-day MD 198) and west of MD 175.(5)

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B _C D Considerations: _A B __C _D _E F G

MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

AA-2380 Tipton Airport Page 3

Buildings and roads increasingly surrounded the site of the original airfield, which had expanded in order to accommodate the increasing air traffic during the mid-1950s. Sometime around 1955, the 1,800-foot landing strip was extended to 2,485 feet. A report published about the base in 1957 indicated Mac Arthur Boulevard and Mapes Road crossed the airfield; the report also noted that the control tower operated moveable barriers that could be raised or lowered in order to facilitate air and ground traffic at the site.(6) Thus, the need for expansion and the increasing development around the site spurred the relocation of the Fort Meade airfield.

Present-day Tipton Airport was opened in 1960 on the periphery of the base to provide the airfield with more room.(7) The new site for the airfield was two miles southwest of the original site and had once been a landfill. The 1961 Washington Local Aeronautical Chart noted the original airfield as "Abandoned Airport" one year after the Tipton Airfield opened.(8)

The 1965 USGS map for the Relay Quad illustrates the presence of several buildings at "Tipton Airfield." The four hangars that are currently standing - #80, #84, #85, and #90 - are depicted on the 1965 map. Additionally, the control tower and the two administrative buildings were also standing by 1965.(9) The airfield operated under the auspices of Fort Meade until it was designated for privatization under BRAC in 1988.(10) The Army retained 900 acres of the BRAC parcel well into the 1990s, which included the 366-acre Tipton Airfield. In 1998, the Army began leasing the parcel to Anne Arundel County, eventually transferring ownership to the county in November 1999.(11)

In July 1998, just as Anne Arundel County began leasing the airfield, the property was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Priorities List of most contaminated Superfund sites. Between 1995 and 1999, the Army removed 3,000 buried ordnance items. Ordnance items are military weapons such as artillery and heavy guns and shell casings. Two landfills were located on the parcel, both of which are currently inactive. A parking lot covers one landfill, while a cap intended to prevent the discharge of contaminants into the soil covers the other landfill. One of the two landfills has been fenced in to limit access. The Army was the lead agency in the cleanup and completed all cleanup measures by September 1999.(12)

Currently, the Tipton Airport is operated by the Tipton Airport Authority, a state-chartered public corporation. The airport is a state-of-the-art general aviation facility that houses many sport, recreational, private, and business aircraft. The Tipton Airport Authority plans to install T-Hangars in the near future and rehabilitate the existing hangars and the pavement.(13)

Description

The Tipton Airport is located on the south side of Fort Mead Road (Maryland 198) off Airfield Road. Airfield Road provides access to General Aviation Drive, an east-west road that runs the length of the facility. The airport is sited on a 366-acre tract of land bordered by Fort George G. Meade, the National Security Agency, and the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge. The airport is comprised of two administrative office buildings, four hangars, a control tower, five sheds, and a cylindrical storage structure. There are also five prefabricated sheds. The buildings are sited on a flat tract of land, which is largely paved. The tarmac, which runs east-west, is located south of all the buildings. The tarmac is bordered to the south by mature, dense vegetation.

Exterior Descriptions

Administrative Building:

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D E _F G

MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

AA-2380 Tipton Airport Page 4

is an attached garage that is two stories in height. A roll-up metal door provides access to the garage, and a concrete ramp leads to the vehicular opening from the parking lot. The main block of the building is one story in height. A flat roof of standing-seam metal covers both the one- and two-story portions of the building. The roof has a standing-seam metal parapet. An exterior-front chimney faced in coursed stone is located on the facade (north elevation), just east of the main entrance. The main entrance has a single-leaf metal door. There are five window openings on the facade. Each opening features a 1/1 metal-sash window set on a metal-clad sill. The interior of the building was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Building #81 (Airport Operations):

This one-story, six-bay airport operations building was constructed circa 1960. It has a rectangular plan with a two-story control tower on its west elevation. The building, which is concrete-block construction, is clad in stucco. A flat roof covered with standing- seam metal caps the main block of the building. The standing-seam metal forms a parapet. The building has an exterior-front chimney clad in stucco that is located adjacent to the entrance. The entrance has a single-leaf metal door with lights. Five window openings are placed along the facade (north elevation). The openings have 1/1 metal-sash windows set on metal-clad sills. The two- story tower has a pyramidal roof with overhanging eaves. The tower's roof is covered in standing-seam metal. The control tower has a ribbon of four 1-light fixed metal-sash windows on each elevation; each 1-light metal-sash is set above a 1-light sliding metal- sash window. The interior of Building #81 was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Hangar #80:

Constructed circa 1960, this two-story, one-bay hangar is set on a concrete foundation with steel-beam framing. The structure is mainly clad in corrugated metal panels with sections of the second story clad in concrete blocks. A low-pitched front-gabled roof covers the hangar. The roof features a raked cornice. Both the east and west side elevations of the hangar feature six sliding metal doors with corrugated metal panels. The doors run the full height of the first story. Fenestration on the first and second stories of the north elevation is a combination of single, paired, and tripled 6-light metal-sash awning windows with interior storm windows. First-story windows are set on a concrete sill course, while each second-story window opening has a concrete lug sill. A one-story enclosed projecting entry bay is located on the first story of the north elevation. The entry bay is concrete-block construction covered by a shed roof. The entry bay has a 12-light metal-sash window and a single-leaf door. The interior of the hangar was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Hangar #84:

Hangar #85:

This two-story hangar was constructed circa 1960. The building is set on a concrete-block foundation and constructed of steel-

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B _C D E _F G MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

AA-2380 Tipton Airport Page 5 beam framing. The first story is clad in concrete blocks, while the second story is clad with corrugated metal. The hangar has a flat roof with metal coping. An exposed steel-beam structure is situated on the roof. The structure is topped with lights and braced with smaller steel beams. A single-leaf metal door with lights, five paired 1-light metal-sash awning windows on concrete sills, and a roll-up metal door are located on the north elevation. The second story of the north elevation, which is set back from the first story, also has paired 1-light metal-sash windows. The west elevation has four sets of paired 1-light metal-sash awning windows. Sliding metal doors are located on the south elevation of the hangar. The interior of the hangar was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Hangar #90:

This two-story hangar was constructed circa 1960. The building is set on a concrete-block foundation and constructed of steel- beam framing. The first story is clad in concrete blocks, while the second story is clad with corrugated metal. The hangar has a flat roof with metal coping. An exposed steel-beam structure is situated on the roof. The structure is topped with lights and braced with smaller steel beams. The south elevation has nine sliding doors of corrugated metal. A set of double-leaf metal doors and two paired 1-light metal-sash awning windows are located on east elevation of the hangar. The north elevation has paired 1-light metal- sash awning windows set on concrete sills and a roll-up metal door. The interior of the hangar was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed#l:

Constructed circa 1980, this shed is one story in height and one bay in width. The structure is built of steel-beam framing. The structure, capped by a front-gabled roof, is clad in corrugated metal. The north elevation of the shed has a large opening with no door. Two smaller entry openings are located on the east elevations. These openings have roll-up metal doors. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed #2:

This one-story, five-bay shed was constructed circa 1980 and is located south of Hangar #90. Built with steel-beam framing, the structure is clad in corrugated metal. A shed roof with metal coping caps the structure. The north elevation of the shed is open with five steel beams delineating the bays of the building. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed #3: .

This shed was constructed of concrete blocks circa 1965. A low-pitched, front-gabled roof covers the one-story, three-bay shed. A single-leaf entrance is located on the west elevation. Fenestration on the east elevation is identical in each of the three bays. Each bay has windows set on concrete sills and grouped in the following order: 2-light fixed metal-sash, 4-light metal-sash awning, 2- light fixed metal-sash, 6-light metal-sash awning, 2-light fixed metal-sash, 4-light metal-sash awning, and 2-light fixed metal-sash. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed #4:

This one-story, one-bay shed was constructed of concrete blocks circa 1970. A flat roof with metal coping covers the shed. There is a single-leaf metal door on the south elevation and a metal-sash window on the west elevation. The window is set on a concrete lug sill. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B C D Considerations: A B C D _E _F G

MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM

AA-2380 Tipton Airport Page 6 Shed #5:

This one-story, one-bay shed was constructed of concrete blocks circa 1970. A shed roof with overhanging eaves and metal coping covers the structure. A single-leaf entry opening is located on the west elevation. There is no door in the opening. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Cylindrical Storage Structure:

This cylindrical storage structure was built circa 1970. The structure was constructed of metal and has a dome-shaped roof. The dome has metal coping where the roof meets the main block of the structure. A ladder, located on the south elevation, extends from the ground to the dome of the structure. The interior of the cylindrical storage structure was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Control Tower:

The control tower was built circa 1960. The building, which has a hexagonal shape, is constructed of cast concrete with two window openings on the west elevation. The windows are 4-light metal-sash casements set on concrete sills. A single-leaf door on the north elevation provides access to the tower. A flat roof with a metal balustrade caps the building. The glass-paneled control room is situated on top of the flat roof. The control room has a continuous ribbon of 1-light fixed metal-sash windows. A flat roof with a metal balustrade covers the control room. The control tower is no longer in use and was the interior was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

1) "Tipton Airport," http://www.tiptonairport.org/about/index.php, accessed August 14, 2007. 2) Anne Arundel County, Maryland, History - Seventeenth Century through the Present, http://www.aacounty.org/AboutAACo/history.cfm, accessed August 13, 2007. 3) "Fort George G. Meade," Maryland Department of Environment ERRP Fact Sheet, http://www.mde.state.md.us/assests/document/brownfields/Fort_Meade.pdf, accessed August 14, 2007. 4) "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields: Maryland-Columbia area," from http://www.airfields- freeman.com/MD/Airfields_MD_Columbia.htm (excerpts from the book Maryland Aloft by Preston, Lanman, and Breilhan) accessed August 15, 2007. 5) 1947 USGS Map, Relay Quad, http://historical.maptech.com/getImage.cfm?fname=rlay47sw.jpg&state=MD, accessed August 15,2007. 6) "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields: Maryland-Columbia area," from http://www.airfields- freeman.com/MD/Airfields_MD_Columbia.htm (excerpts from the book Maryland Aloft by Preston, Lanman, and Breilhan) accessed August 15, 2007. 7) "Fort George G. Meade Cultural Resource Management Plan," prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, August 1994. 8) "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields: Maryland-Columbia area," from http://www.airfields- freeman.com/MD/Airfields MD Columbia.htm (excerpts from the book Maryland Aloft by Preston, Lanman, and Breilhan) accessed August 15, 2007. 9) 1965 USGS map, Relay Quad (photo revised 1979). 10) http://www.tiptonairport.org/about/index.php 11) "Fort George G. Meade," Maryland Department of Environment ERRP Fact Sheet, http://www.mde.state.md.us/assests/document/brownfields/Fort_Meade.pdf, accessed August 14, 2007. 12) "Cleanup Complete at Tipton Army Airfield at Ft. Meade , Property Ready for Transfer to County for Commercial Flights," http://yosemite.epa.gov/r3/press.nsf/7Df954af9cce39b882563fd0063a09c/a371cff89fl24d6f85256707005clf7e7OpenDocument

MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended Eligibility not recommended

Criteria: A B _C D Considerations: A B C D _E _F G MHT Comments:

Reviewer, Office of Preservation Services Date

Reviewer, National Register Program Date Capsule Summary AA-2380 Tipton Airport 81 General Aviation Drive Odenton, Anne Arundel County, Maryland 1960 Private

The Tipton Airport is a former United States Army airfield occupying a 366-acre tract of land historically part of Fort George G. Meade. The Tipton Airfield was opened in 1960, replacing the original Fort Meade airfield that opened in the 1920s. Operating under the auspices of Fort Meade, the non-historic airfield was designated for privatization under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) in 1988. In 1995, the airfield was listed as a Superfund site and closed to allow the Army to cleanup the site. The facility reopened in November of 1999 under the ownership of Anne Arundel County. Currently, a state-chartered public corporation - the Tipton Airport Authority - operates the airfield.

Fort Meade, the National Security Agency, and the Patuxent Wildlife Reserve border the airfield, which is sited south of MD 198 in Odenton, Maryland.

The Tipton Airport is located on the south side of Fort Meade Road (Maryland 198) off

Airfield Road. Airfield Road provides access to General Aviation Drive, an east-west road that runs the length of the facility. The airport is bordered by Fort George G. Meade, the National Security Agency, and the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge. The airport is comprised of two administrative office buildings, four hangars, a control tower, five sheds, and a cylindrical storage structure. The buildings are sited on a flat tract of land, which is largely paved. The tarmac, which runs east-west, is located south of all the buildings. The tarmac is bordered to the south by mature, dense vegetation. Maryland Historical Trust Inventory No. AA-2380 Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form

1. Name of Property (indicate preferred name)

historic Fort Meade Auxiliary Army Airfield other Tipton Airport (preferred) 2. Location

street and number 81 General Aviation Drive not for publication city, town Odenton vicinity county Anne Arundel

3. Owner of Property (give names and mailing addresses of all owners)

name Anne Arundel County, Tipton Airport Authority street and number P.O. Box 155 telephone city, town Odenton state MD zip code 21113 4. Location of Legal Description

courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Anne Arundel County Courthouse liber 10552 folio 716 city, town Annapolis tax map 20 tax parcel 12 tax ID number 4-000-90213642 5. Primary Location of Additional Data Contributing Resource in National Register District Contributing Resource in Local Historic District Determined Eligible for the National Register/Maryland Register Determined Ineligible for the National Register/Maryland Register Recorded by HABS/HAER Historic Structure Report or Research Report at MHT Other: 6. Classification

Category Ownership Current Function Resource Count district public agriculture landscape Contributing Noncontributing X buildinq(s) X private commerce/trade recreation/culture 13 buildings structure both defense religion sites site domestic social structures object education X transportation objects funerary work in progress 0 13 Total government unknown health care vacant/not in use Number of Contributing Resources industry other: previously listed in the Inventory 0 7. Description Inventory No. AA-2380

Condition

excellent deteriorated X good ruins fair altered

Prepare both a one paragraph summary and a comprehensive description of the resource and its various elements as it exists today.

The Tipton Airport is located on the south side of Fort Meade Road (Maryland 198) off Airfield Road. Airfield Road provides access to General Aviation Drive, an east-west road that runs the length of the facility. The airport is sited on a 366-acre tract of land bordered by Fort George G. Meade, the National Security Agency, and the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge. The airport is comprised of two administrative office buildings, four hangars, a control tower, five sheds, and a cylindrical storage structure. There are also five prefabricated sheds. The buildings are sited on a flat tract of land, which is largely paved. The tarmac, which runs east-west, is located south of all the buildings. The tarmac is bordered to the south by mature, dense vegetation.

Exterior Descriptions

Administrative Building:

The administrative building was constructed circa 1960. This two-story, seven-bay administrative building is constructed of concrete blocks. The foundation is rock-faced concrete block, while the structure is clad in stucco. The western bay of the building is an attached garage that is two stories in height. A roll-up metal door provides access to the garage, and a concrete ramp leads to the vehicular opening from the parking lot. The main block of the building is one story in height. A flat roof of standing-seam metal covers both the one- and two-story portions of the building. The roof has a standing-seam metal parapet. An exterior-front chimney faced in coursed stone is located on the facade (north elevation), just east of the main entrance. The main entrance has a single-leaf metal door. There are five window openings on the facade. Each opening features a 1/1 metal-sash window set on a metal-clad sill. The interior of the building was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Building #81 (Airport Operations):

This one-story, six-bay airport operations building was constructed circa 1960. It has a rectangular plan with a two-story control tower on its west elevation. The building, which is concrete-block construction, is clad in stucco. A flat roof covered with standing-seam metal caps the main block of the building. The standing-seam metal forms a parapet. The building has an exterior-front chimney clad in stucco that is located adjacent to the entrance. The entrance has a single-leaf metal door with lights. Five window openings are placed along the facade (north elevation). The openings have 1/1 metal-sash windows set on metal-clad sills. The two-story tower has a pyramidal roof with overhanging eaves. The tower's roof is covered in standing-seam metal. The control tower has a ribbon of four 1 -light fixed metal-sash windows on each elevation; each 1 -light metal-sash is set above a 1-light sliding metal-sash window. The interior of Building #81 was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Hangar #80:

Tipton Airport Continuation Sheet

Number _7_ Page 1

blocks. A low-pitched front-gabled roof covers the hangar. The roof features a raked cornice. Both the east and west side elevations of the hangar feature six sliding metal doors with corrugated metal panels. The doors run the full height of the first story. Fenestration on the first and second stories of the north elevation is a combination of single, paired, and tripled 6-light metal-sash awning windows with interior storm windows. First-story windows are set on a concrete sill course, while each second-story window opening has a concrete lug sill. A one-story enclosed projecting entry bay is located on the first story of the north elevation. The entry bay is concrete-block construction covered by a shed roof. The entry bay has a 12-light metal-sash window and a single-leaf door. The interior of the hangar was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Hangar #84:

Hangar #85:

This two-story hangar was constructed circa 1960. The building is set on a concrete-block foundation and constructed of steel-beam framing. The first story is clad in concrete blocks, while the second story is clad with corrugated metal. The hangar has a flat roof with metal coping. An exposed steel-beam structure is situated on the roof. The structure is topped with lights and braced with smaller steel beams. A single-leaf metal door with lights, five paired 1 -light metal-sash awning windows on concrete sills, and a roll-up metal door are located on the north elevation. The second story of the north elevation, which is set back from the first story, also has paired 1-light metal-sash windows. The west elevation has four sets of paired 1-light metal-sash awning windows. Sliding metal doors are located on the south elevation of the hangar. The interior of the hangar was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey. Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of inventory NO. AA-2380 Historic Properties Form

Tipton Airport Continuation Sheet

Number _7_ Page 2

Hangar #90:

This two-story hangar was constructed circa 1960. The building is set on a concrete-block foundation and constructed of steel-beam framing. The first story is clad in concrete blocks, while the second story is clad with corrugated metal. The hangar has a flat roof with metal coping. An exposed steel-beam structure is situated on the roof. The structure is topped with lights and braced with smaller steel beams. The south elevation has nine sliding doors of corrugated metal. A set of double-leaf metal doors and two paired 1-light metal-sash awning windows are located on east elevation of the hangar. The north elevation has paired 1 -light metal-sash awning windows set on concrete sills and a roll-up metal door. The interior of the hangar was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed#l:

Constructed circa 1980, this shed is one story in height and one bay in width. The structure is built of steel- beam framing. The structure, capped by a front-gabled roof, is clad in corrugated metal. The north elevation of the shed has a large opening with no door. Two smaller entry openings are located on the east elevations. These openings have roll-up metal doors. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed #2:

This one-story, five-bay shed was constructed circa 1980 and is located south of Hangar #90. Built with steel- beam framing, the structure is clad in corrugated metal. A shed roof with metal coping caps the structure. The north elevation of the shed is open with five steel beams delineating the bays of the building. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed #3:

This shed was constructed of concrete blocks circa 1965. A low-pitched, front-gabled roof covers the one-story, three-bay shed. A single-leaf entrance is located on the west elevation. Fenestration on the east elevation is identical in each of the three bays. Each bay has windows set on concrete sills and grouped in the following order: 2-light fixed metal-sash, 4-light metal-sash awning, 2-light fixed metal-sash, 6-light metal-sash awning, 2-light fixed metal-sash, 4-light metal-sash awning, and 2-light fixed metal-sash. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed #4:

This one-story, one-bay shed was constructed of concrete blocks circa 1970. A flat roof with metal coping covers the shed. There is a single-leaf metal door on the south elevation and a metal-sash window on the west Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. AA-2380 Historic Properties Form

Tipton Airport Continuation Sheet

Number _7_ Page 3

elevation. The window is set on a concrete lug sill. The interior of the shed was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Shed #5:

Cylindrical Storage Structure:

This cylindrical storage structure was built circa 1970. The structure was constructed of metal and has a dome- shaped roof. The dome has metal coping where the roof meets the main block of the structure. A ladder, located on the south elevation, extends from the ground to the dome of the structure. The interior of the cylindrical storage structure was not accessible at the time of the on-site survey.

Control Tower:

The control tower was built circa 1960. The building, which has a hexagonal shape, is constructed of cast concrete with two window openings on the west elevation. The windows are 4-light metal-sash casements set on concrete sills. A single-leaf door on the north elevation provides access to the tower. A flat roof with a metal balustrade caps the building. The glass-paneled control room is situated on top of the flat roof. The control room has a continuous ribbon of 1 -light fixed metal-sash windows. A flat roof with a metal balustrade covers the control room. The control tower is no longer in use and was the interior was not accessible at the time of the on- site survey. 8. Significance Inventory No. AA-2380

Period Areas of Significance Check and justify below

1600-1699 agriculture economics health/medicine performing arts 1700-1799 archeology education industry philosophy 1800-1899 architecture engineering invention politics/government X 1900-1999 art entertainment/ landscape architecture religion 2000- commerce recreation law science communications ethnic heritage literature social history community planning exploration/ maritime history X transportation conservation settlement X military other:

Specific dates 1960 Architect/Builder Unknown

Construction dates 1960-1980

Evaluation for:

X National Register X Maryland Register not evaluated

Prepare a one-paragraph summary statement of significance addressing applicable criteria, followed by a narrative discussion of the history of the resource and its context. (For compliance projects, complete evaluation on a DOE Form - see manual.)

The Tipton Airport is a former United States Army airfield occupying a 366-acre tract of land historically part of Fort Meade. The Tipton Airfield was opened in 1960, replacing the original Fort Meade airfield that opened in the 1920s. Operating under the auspices of Fort Meade, the non-historic airfield was designated for privatization under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) in 1988. In 1995, the airfield was listed as a Superfund site and closed to allow the Army to cleanup the site. The facility reopened in November of 1999 under the ownership of Anne Arundel County. Currently, a state-chartered public corporation - the Tipton Airport Authority - operates the airfield.1 Fort Meade, the National Security Agency, and the Patuxent Wildlife Reserve border the airfield, which is sited south of MD 198 in Odenton, Maryland.

The Tipton Airport is a modern facility not associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. The adjacent Fort Meade is significant for the part it played in mobilizing and training troops during World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1941-1945). Constructed after the Korean War (1950-1953), Tipton Airport is not associated with any military events for which Fort George G. Meade is significant. Therefore, the property is not recommended eligible under Criterion A. The property is not associated with any person or group of persons of outstanding importance to the community, state, or nation. Therefore, the property is not recommended eligible under Criterion B. The buildings associated with the airport do not embody distinctive characteristics of twentieth-century architecture. The buildings are constructed with materials such as concrete block and corrugated metal, typical of industrial architecture found throughout Anne Arundel County and the nation in the mid- to late twentieth century. Therefore, the property is not recommended eligible under Criterion C. All the buildings on the property are less than fifty years old. The property was not evaluated under Criterion D. Thus, Tipton Airport is not recommended eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under A, B, or C.

Historic Context: Anne Arundel County and Odenton

1 Anne Arundel County, "Tipton Airport, Anne Arundel County, Maryland," http://www.tiptonairport.org/about/index.php, accessed 14 August 2007. Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. AA-2380 Historic Properties Form

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industry following the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Many railroad lines were laid in the early to mid- nineteenth century to aid in transferring the smelted ore to Baltimore City for shipping.2 The new railroads also facilitated transportation of goods and people between Baltimore City and Washington, D.C, creating a highly traveled corridor through Anne Arundel County.

In 1917, the United States Department of War acquired 4,000 acres of land between Odenton and Laurel, in Anne Arundel County, for the establishment of Camp Meade, which was renamed Fort George G. Meade in 1928 when it became a permanent post. Conceived as a World War I (1914-1918) training facility, the base offered training in infantry combat operations as well as a mustard agent training area. From 1918 to 1932, the United States Army Tank School operated out of Fort Meade. With the United States entrance into World War II (1941-1945) in 1941, Fort Meade expanded to 13,596 acres to meet the increased training requirements. The base continued to operate as a training facility until 1988 when several portions of the site - totaling 9,000 acres - were identified for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC).3

The Fort Meade Auxiliary Army Airfield and Tipton Airport

2 Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Citizens Information Center, "History - Seventeenth Century through the Present," http://www.aacounty.org/AboutAACo/history.cfm, accessed 13 August 2007. 3 Maryland Department of the Environment, "Fort George G. Meade," Maryland Department of the Environment ERRP Fact Sheet, http://www.mde.state.md.us/assests/document/brownfields/Fort_Meade.pdf, accessed 14 August 2007. Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. AA-2380 Historic Properties Form

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first airfield is unknown; however, an emergency landing field was present in the 1920s. An auxiliary landing field was noted in a 1930 Fort Meade publication, and the 1935 Washington Sectional Chart provides the first physical representation of the base's airfield. By 1937, the airfield had three runways, the longest of which was 1,800 feet. The 1947 USGS map of Anne Arundel County shows the 1,800-foot landing strip of Fort Meade Airfield, which was sited north of MD 602 (present-day MD 198) and west of MD 175.5

Buildings and roads increasingly surrounded the site of the original airfield, which had expanded in order to accommodate the increasing air traffic during the mid-1950s. Sometime around 1955, the 1,800-foot landing strip was extended to 2,485 feet. A report published about the base in 1957 indicated MacArthur Boulevard and Mapes Road crossed the airfield; the report also noted that the control tower operated moveable barriers that could be raised or lowered in order to facilitate air and ground traffic at the site.6 Thus, the need for expansion and the increasing development around the site spurred the relocation of the Fort Meade airfield.

Present-day Tipton Airport was opened in 1960 on the periphery of the base to provide the airfield with more room.7 The new site for the airfield was two miles southwest of the original site and had once been a landfill. The 1961 Washington Local Aeronautical Chart noted the original airfield as "Abandoned Airport" one year after the Tipton Airfield opened.8

The 1965 USGS map for the Relay Quad illustrates the presence of several buildings at "Tipton Airfield." The four hangars that are currently standing - #80, #84, #85, and #90 - are depicted on the 1965 map. Additionally, the control tower and the two administrative buildings were also standing by 1965. The airfield operated under the auspices of Fort Meade until it was designated for privatization under BRAC in 1988.10 The Army retained 900 acres of the BRAC parcel well into the 1990s, which included the 366-acre Tipton Airfield. In 1998, the Army began leasing the parcel to Anne Arundel County, eventually transferring ownership to the county in November 1999."

4 Paul Freeman, "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields: Maryland-Columbia area," http://www.airfields- freeman.com/MD/Airfields_MD_Columbia.htm, accessed 15 August 2007. 5 MapTech, Relay Quad, 1947 USGS Map, http://historical.maptech.com/getImage.cfm?fname=rlay47sw.jpg&state=MD, accessed 15 August 2007. 6 Paul Freeman, "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields: Maryland-Columbia area," http://www.airfields- freeman.com/MD/Airfields_MD_Columbia.htm, accessed 15 August 2007. 7 "Fort George G. Meade Cultural Resource Management Plan," prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, August 1994. 8 Paul Freeman, "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields: Maryland-Columbia area," http://www.airfields- freeman.com/MD/Airfields_MD_Columbia.htm, accessed 15 August 2007. 9 MapTech, Laurel Quad, 1965 (revised 1979), USGS Map. 10 Anne Arundel County, "Tipton Airport, Anne Arundel County, Maryland," http://www.tiptonairport.org/about/index.php, accessed 14 August 2007. " Maryland Department of the Environment, "Fort George G. Meade, (MD-67)," Maryland Department of the Environment ERRP Fact Sheet, http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/brownfields/Fort_Meade.pdf, accessed 14 August 2007. Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. AA-2380 Historic Properties Form

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12 United States Environmental Protection Agency, "EPA Declares Ft. Meade's Tipton Airfield Free of Hazardous Waste," Press Release, 25 January 1999, http://yosemite.epa.gov/r3/press.nsf77Of954af9cce39b882563fd0063a09c/a371cff89fl24d6f85256707005clf7e7OpenDocument 13 Anne Arundel County, "Tipton Airport, Anne Arundel County, Maryland," http://www.tiptonairport.org/about/index.php, accessed 14 August 2007. 9. Major Bibliographical References Inventory No. AA-2380

Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Citizens Information Center. "History - Seventeenth Century through the Present." http://www.aacounty.org/AboutAACo/history.cfm Anne Arundel County. "Tipton Airport, Anne Arundel County, Maryland." http://www.tiptonairport.org/about/index.php. Freeman, Paul. "Abandoned and Little Known Airfields: Maryland-Columbia area." http://www.airfrelds-freeman.com/MD/Airfields_MD_Columbia.htm. "Fort George G. Meade Cultural Resource Management Plan." Prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. August 1994. MapTech. Laurel Quad, 1965 (revised 1979), USGS Map. MapTech. Relay Quad, 1947 USGS Map. http://historical.maptech.com/getImage.cfm?fname=rlay47sw.jpg&state=MD. Maryland Department of the Environment. "Fort George G. Meade, (MD-67)." Maryland Department of the Environment, ERRP Fact Sheet. http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/brownfields/Fort_Meade.pdf. United States Environmental Protection Agency. "EPA Declares Ft. Meade's Tipton Airfield Free of Hazardous Waste." Press Release, 25 January 1999. http://yosemite.epa.gov/r3/press.nsf/7f3 f954af9cce39b882563fd0063a09c/a371cfi89fl24d6f85256707005clf7e?Open Document

10. Geographical Data

Acreage of surveyed property 366 Acreage of historical setting 366 Quadrangle name Laurel Quadrangle scale: 1:24,000

Verbal boundary description and justification

The Tipton Airport is located south of the point where MD 198 and MD 32 intersect. Fort George G. Meade borders the facility to the north, and the Patuxent Research Refuge borders the airport to the south. At the time of its construction, the Tipton Airport was located on the grounds of Fort Meade, but ownership of the parcel was transferred to Anne Arundel County in 1999.

11. Form Prepared by

name/title Elizabeth Breiseth, Architectural Historian organization EHT Traceries, Inc. date August 2007 street & number 1121 Fifth Street NW telephone 202/393-1199 city or town Washington state DC

The Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties was officially created by an Act of the Maryland Legislature to be found in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Article 41, Section 181 KA, 1974 supplement.

The survey and inventory are being prepared for information and record purposes only and do not constitute any infringement of individual property rights.

return to: Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Department of Planning 100 Community Place Crownsville, MD 21032-2023 410-514-7600 Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. AA-2380 Historic Properties Form

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1947 USGS Map, Relay Quad, showing original airfield at Fort Meade Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. AA-2380 Historic Properties Form

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2007 Aerial Photograph of Tipton Airport, http://www.tiptonairport.org

Tipton Airport (AA-2380) Odenton, Anne Arundel County, MD Tax Parcel Map 20, Parcel 12 Prepared by EHT Traceries, Inc., 2007 Tipton Airport (AA-2380) 81 General Aviation Drive Odenton, Anne Arundel County, MD Laurel Quad, USGS Topographic Map, 1965, Revised 1979 Prepared by EHT Traceries, Inc., 2007